The following is a re-cap of the first
show which was recorded on December 4, 2016, and first aired on December 24, 2016. Note,
this is not intended to be a verbatim transcript, but a recap of the highlights,
with some further ponderings, references, and links thrown in. Please feel free
to add your comments/ideas/suggestions for future shows/topics as a comment on
this blog post.

November: The Elephant in the Room

We opened the show with a few chords
from “Go Cubs, Go,” and did a quick review of all the history-making events
that happened in November 2016: the Cubs won the World Series, which culminated
in the final five-hour game, complete with a 17-minute rain delay and all, a
nail-biter right to the finish. By now, we all must have the song, “Go Cubs
Go!” stuck in our heads.

What else? Ireland beat New Zealand 40
to 29, for the first time ever (and they first started playing each other in
1905), in a rugby match also played in Chicago at the start of November.

Anything else? Beantown Women’s Rugby
Club also traveled to Chicago and had a split decision, vanquishing the
Minnesota Valkyries, but dropping a close one with Chicago North Shore.

Hmm, was there anything else that
happened in November? Anything?

Ha, well there is the elephant in the
room, of course: The Election.

And November had started off so well.
(Go Cubs Go)

Ironically, when we first started
talking about hosting a radio show, I thought we would cover themes similar to
what I’ve written about in my blog: culture, sports, art, diversity, LGBTQ, faith,
philosophy, psychology, STEM, science, health, and business/management. But not
politics. Never politics.

Yet, to talk of anything else now seemed
nearly impossible. I saw someone tweet part of a poem by Bertolt Brecht, written
in 1938 during the rise of Nazi Germany:

“What kind of times are these when

To talk about trees is almost a crime

Because it implies silence about so
many horrors.”

To talk of trees – or baseball, or
rugby for that matter – now seemed insignificant in the wake of the election
fallout.Ironically, 1938 was also the
very same year that Adolf Hitler was selected as Time Magazine’s Man of the
Year.

We started a conversation about both
the reaction to the election results, as well as offering some analysis on how
it could have happened. Certainly, economics and identity played a huge role.
There is a large portion of the population that perhaps feels left behind, as
jobs have become increasingly technology based, and equally uncomfortable and
threatened by the pace of social change over the past ten years.

Jumana found a great article published
by the Brookings Institution (Reeves, 2016) that keyed into the underlying
psychology of the Trump supporters, postulating that anger is really just another
expression of pain.

It really came down to the great
divide between cities and rural America, as well as young and old. For
generations, young people have left their small towns for cities, seeking
better jobs, but also to find like-minded people, to fit in, and be accepted as
they are. This demographic shift has been happening for decades. When I lived
in Springfield, Illinois, I remember meeting people who had left their even
smaller farm towns for the relative metropolis of Springfield. Ultimately, I
left Springfield for Boston because I saw it as a place where I could just be
me, possibly find love and acceptance, and of course play rugby.

The small towns are the places people
are from. The young, urban city dwellers - we are the sons and daughters of the
older, rural voters. The cities have also been the landing place for immigrants
new to the country, where they could find jobs and possibly a support network
among fellow immigrants. What we didn’t fully recognize was the undercurrent of
anger from those feeling left out, left behind, disenfranchised, and having
social change imposed on them. Not only a black man as president for eight
years, but gays and lesbians allowed in the military, recognition of same-sex
marriage, transgender rights, and forced health insurance coverage. President-Elect
Donald Trump tapped into that anger, and unleashed it.

Certainly, the election was very
polarizing, with the typically younger and more liberal voters at one end of
the spectrum, many even initially supporting Bernie Sanders, and at the other end
of the spectrum, the typically older and whiter more conservative Trump supporters,
including some of the more extreme far-right extreme factions. It’s clear how
these two camps would have voted.

But what about the middle?

How did the undecided voter decide to
vote for Donald Trump?

We explored one theory. There was a
study led by Professor Timothy Wilson at the University of Virginia, where
subjects were left to sit alone with their thoughts for some time period, say
six to fifteen minutes, and in one version of the trial, subjects were also given
the option to push a button which would deliver a painful (albeit not harmful)
shock. Surprisingly, or should I say shockingly, the majority of men (67%) and
a quarter of women opted to shock themselves. Given the choice between boredom
and pain, people chose pain.

If a vote for Hillary Clinton was seen
as a vote for the status quo, then maybe vote for Donald Trump was simply a
vote against boredom. President-Elect Donald Trump may be many things, but he
certainly won’t be boring.

A lot of people are nervous now, given
the rhetoric of hate that has been unleashed. Or at least given license to be
spoken freely. Maybe it was just that, rhetoric. Maybe he was just saying what
he had to say in order to win the election. Trump campaigned to woo middle
America, which was smart. To quote an old fortune cookie: “Enthusiasm is the
key to success.” Trump was certainly enthusiastic.

Jumana tried to put a hopeful spin on
things. Maybe it won’t turn out to be that extreme. After all, the Government
does not control every aspect of society; each individual can exert some
influence by how they act. I added the old adage: “When the people lead, the
leaders will follow.”

Yet, it still feels like dangerous
times. It’s a time for everyone to be vigilant, stick together, and watch out
for each other, and for each person to be a beacon of hope, and decency, and
civility to counteract the negativity that has been in the air.

“The only thing necessary for evil to
triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

~Edmund Burke

There is almost a feeling of
helplessness, not knowing what to do. Some people in the U.S. have adopted the
safety pin movement. It’s small but it’s something. It originated in the
Netherlands during World War II. People would discreetly wear a safety pin to
signal to others that they were safe with them, and part of the resistance.
They were adopted again in the U.K. after the Brexit vote, when there was an
uptick in violence against ethnic minorities. As I said in my last blog, sometimes
change starts with something small. The safety pin is the equivalent of a bunt
in baseball, but it starts the process, and sets the mental compass on the
right course, ready to take action. The safety pin shouldn’t be an empty
symbol, but rather a pledge to do something, to take action, to stand up for
others, and not allow the hatred, bigotry and racism to go unchecked.

Be kind. Look out for each other. It’s
a rough crowd out there.

Remember, when Schmidt happens, make
the best of it.

Post
Script

I’m not sure how recognizable my
version of “Go Cubs Go” was, plus I think I was supposed to capo it. Alas! The
song was written by Steve Goodman in 1984; he died that same year, his life cut
short by leukemia. In the small world way of things, while growing up in the
Chicago area, he was classmates with Hillary Clinton in High School. I learned
that while poking around online for this blog, as well as that he also wrote
the song, “City of New Orleans.” I would hum that song in my head practically
all the way, from where I picked it up in Effingham, Illinois, until I hopped
off in Winona, Mississippi the next morning, all the while watching the
landscape change from flat, black fertile farmland to red clay fields, towns
and woods.

“Good morning America, how are you?”

See Post-Show Ponderings below for the
answer to that question.

Happy
Holidays!

Remember, at the Schmidt House, we
celebrate all the miracles of the season, so Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, a
Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, a Blessed Mawlid al-Nabi, and a Very Peaceful
Solstice!

By Careless Sons, a UK band. It’s in
British English, so I’m not completely sure what it’s all about, but there are
some lovely Christmas jumpers (translation: sweaters), jingle bells, snow, and
ice skating scenes. It has a good beat, seems happy, and gets my toes tapping
anyway.

By Goo Goo Dolls. The perfect song for
this time of year. Let us all hope for better days ahead!

Happy 2017!

Up
Next:Democracy: Recap of HUBweek 2016 Faneuil
Forum

I went into a little bit of a rant on
Democracy at the end of the show, and there will be much more to come on that
topic – as well as a look back at the HUBweek 2016 Faneuil Forum event hosted
by Professor Michael Sandel - in a future show/blog post.

About
WBCA-LP 102.9 FM Boston:

Thank you Mayor Marty Walsh and all
the folks at Boston Neighborhood Network for making WBCA possible and giving us
a place where our voices may be heard.

Radio Beantown is on the air! Jumana
Hashim is a current member of Beantown Women’s Rugby Club, while Rosemary, aka
Rosebud, Schmidt has been retired a few years.

I’ve now had a few weeks to stew on
this since the recording of our show.

“Good morning America, how are you?”

Well, America is not well right now.

Days after the election, the Alt Right
holds a celebration party just blocks from the White House, and just across the
mall from the Holocaust Museum. And no one is calling President-Elect Trump’s
supporters out on this. Even if someone believes that Trump has some business
magic to make things better, does it mean that we have to give up our values
and tolerate the blatant hatred that is now on display? I see some tweets and
photos online. There’s a group carrying signs reading “Let’s Make America White
Again.” Another sign, at first I think it reads “Stop Hate Crimes,” but then I
realize I’ve missed a word, and it actually reads “Stop Hate Crime Laws.”

To steal a page from author Azar
Nafisi, interpreting the current political climate through the lens of
literature, it feels like the seventh book of the Harry Potter series, where
forces of evil have taken over, and Harry and his friends have been forced
underground. It feels like the last chapter of Lord of the Flies, when the children turned savages have taken over
the island, given in to their lesser selves. Simon and Piggy are both dead, and
Ralph is on the beach, but there is no assurance that any grownups will land on
our shores to restore some semblance of order and civility to our society.

“Ralph wept for the end of innocence,
the darkness of men’s hearts…”

We are in the midst of an uncivil
dysfunction. What to do? Can't talk about it at work, at the hair salon, or
during holiday get-togethers with family. Yes, it is the elephant in the room.

In a speech Thursday night, December
1, 2016, in Cincinnati, as part of President-Elect Donald Trump’s Thank-You
Tour, he says to the crowd:

“We spent too much time focusing on
what divides us. Now is the time to embrace the one thing that truly unites us.
You know what that is – America, America.

“We are going to seek a truly
inclusive society, where we support each other, love each other, and look out
for each other. And that means that people coming into our country have to be
people that have the potential to love us, not to hate us.”

“We condemn bigotry and prejudice in
all of its forms. We denounce all of the hatred and we forcefully reject the
language of exclusion and separation. We are going to come together, we have no
choice, we have to, and it’s better.”

But is this message really getting
heard, and will it really happen?

I see some footage of another speech by
Trump, made December 15, 2016, in Hershey, Pennsylvania:

“My message tonight is for all
Americans, from all parties, all beliefs, all walks of life. Whether you are
African-American, Hispanic-American, or Asian-American, or whatever the hell
you are, remember that we are all Americans.”

This is President-Elect Donald
Trump's attempt at building unity. It's not working so well. There was a recent article in USA Today on this very topic, reporting on the results of a poll by Suffolk University (Page, Petras, 2016). When people were asked how they felt about Donald Trump taking office next month, 38% felt alarmed, 38% hopeful, 16% excited, and 4% bored (margin of error +/- 3 percentage points). Note that only 4% said they were bored!

Watching and hearing everything in the news every day, I don't know what to do, but I know I need to do something. So, I go to a couple of rallies.

The first rally I went to was on Boston Common
on Sunday, November 20th. I make a little sign and bring it with me. On my way to join
the group of protesters, I run into a black man with dread locks,
and he asks what’s going on. I explain that there is a rally to promote unity,
reacting to the election. He is quite a bit more magnanimous than me, saying,
“well, the people have voted, and Trump was the people’s choice, and we have to
accept that.” He tells me how he is used to such things, such as a white woman
passing by him on the street and telling him he should go back to where he came
from.” I ask him: “Why should this be okay? Do you not deserve to be treated
with respect for your basic human dignity?”

The crowd numbers roughly 80 people,
and are mostly doing a series of chants. I’m not a big chanter. I’d rather sing.
The most creative chant of the day, I would have to paraphrase slightly to say
it on the air: “Kitty grabs back!”

After the rally, I meet a man form
Ireland originally, a fellow rugby player as it turns out, and he remarks: The
mood here now in the U.S., he hasn’t seen anything like it since Dublin in
1981. The Troubles.

Trouble has found us here.

A few weeks later, the Islamic Center
of Wayland receives a letter (anonymous of course), threatening to do to them
“what Hitler did to the Jews.” Another rally to show solidarity and support to
the Muslim community. I bring my sign. Several members of the community speak.
There are a few songs: “God Bless America,” “America The Beautiful,” and “Lean
On Me.” A Muslim man, overcome by the outpouring of support, moves through the
crowd, giving hugs. I see a Muslim woman, standing with friends, in tears.

Of course, the really big rally is
coming up, on the day after Inauguration Day, Saturday, January 21, 2016, in
D.C., and for those who can’t make the trip, most major cities are holding
rallies of their own, including Boston. I might just have to hop on a train again.

Unfortunately, there is even discord
within this movement. The rally was initially named the Million Women March,
but this understandably upset the women of color who had been planning and
organizing the Million Women March slated for October 2017, to mark the
anniversary of the first Million Women March on Washington held in 1997. It was
seen as another example of whites oblivious to black history.

Now it’s being called the Women's
March on Washington. But why, I ask, should this be limited to women? Why
shouldn’t every group or individual who did not vote for Trump, the majority of
voters by the way (this little statistic keeps getting swept aside) show up for
the rally? Women and men of every walk of life, race, creed, and ethnic origin.

Every American.

We must not be silent.

Silence is complicity.

Stand up for yourself.

Stand up for each other.

Stand up for what is good and right.

Stand up for the fundamental dignity
of every individual.

Never forget:

“First they came for the Socialists,
and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade
Unionists, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did
not speak out –

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me –

And there was no one left to speak for
me.”

Pastor Martin Niemoller (1892-1984)

Two more quotes:

“You must never be fearful about what you
are doing when it is right.”

Rose
Schmidt is the author of “Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life” (Gainline
Press 2004). The views expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do
not reflect the views of any other agency or organization. Use of individual
quotes with proper citation and attribution, within the limits of fair use, is
permitted. If you would like to request permission to use or reprint any of the
content on the site, please contact me.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Sometimes change starts with a bunt, a
small thing, something within reach. Or, at least it did for the Cubs Wednesday
night. Things were looking pretty bleak for the Mudville sluggers, as their
bats had fallen silent since the first game of the National League Championship
Series, a convincing win over the L.A. Dodgers, highlighted by a base-clearing
homer in the 8th inning. Clayton Kershaw took the wind out of their sails in Game
2, though the Cubs still kept it to a respectable 1-0 score for the loss. Their
drought in hitting continued in Game 3, losing 6-0, and into the start of Game
4. I was starting to wonder if someone had snuck a goat into the Dodgers’
stadium. Irony of ironies, we had just finished watching “It’s The Great
Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” right before the game, and I began to wonder if it was
a portent of things to come, that we might be left like Linus once again wailing,
“Wait till next year!”

By the time Ben Zobrist went to the
plate in the fourth inning, the Cubs had accumulated 21 scoreless innings in a
row, and he knew he had to do something different. He bunted. How humble,
simple, and selfless of him. No one goes to the Baseball Hall of Fame for
bunting. No one gets recognized as the Best Bunter in Baseball, or given the
Golden Bunt Award. Everyone focuses on the home run hitters, the Russells and
the Rizzos, but I believe it was this simple bunt, this individual sacrifice,
that inspired and led his teammates to connect with the ball that inning and
send it sailing. Or, as Manager Joe Maddon, was quoted as saying, “It’s
contagious.”

Ben Zobrist's bunt in the 4th inning

Anthony Rizzo after hitting his home run in the top of the 5th

Sometimes when you swing for the
fence, you miss everything. It’s just too much. Sometimes you have to start
with something small, something manageable, something doable.

Sometimes you just have to start with
a bunt.

Final Score Game 4: Cubs 10 – Dodgers 2

Final Score Game 5: Cubs 8 – Dodgers 4

Post
Script

It was great watching former Red Sox
players Jon Lester pitch for the Cubs in Game 5, and John Lackey in Game 4. All
those stories about fried chicken in the Red Sox clubhouse have been left far behind
them. Now, everyone thinks it was Theo Epstein’s genius and persuasion that
brought them to Chicago, but no, there is a totally different, perfectly
logical explanation.

It was the fried chicken.

If you want the best darned fried
chicken anywhere, it’s just a few miles down I-55, off exit 267, at the White
Fence Farm in Romeoville, Illinois. It is seriously the best fried chicken in
the world, plus has the most amazing sides, such as their bean salad, and coleslaw,
and my own personal favorite, the corn fritters, perfectly crispy and magically
dusted with powdered sugar. Mmm-mmm. You can bet there will be some fried
chicken eating in Chicago when the Cubs bring it back to Wrigley Saturday night
for Game 6, up 3-2 in the Series.

http://whitefencefarm-il.com/It is also nice to see Pete Rose
gamboling about with the other sportscasters. In a single word: Giddy. He is simply
giddy just to be back around the game. It’s a little complicated, and probably a topic
for another day, another blog.

A couple of Roses, exchanging their sports books (2014)

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and
took me up on my offer of a free book at last week’s Boston Book Fest.
Actually, thank you to everyone who actually even made eye contact or stopped
to talk to me. Boston drivers are legendary for their abilities in averting eye contact, to avoid
having to let someone into their lane, but I have to tell you the skills are
equally honed as pedestrians. Imagine, I’m at a book festival, a place where
everyone presumably kind of likes books, and most of the passersby just passed on
by.

Rose
Schmidt is the author of “Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life” (Gainline
Press 2004). Use of individual quotes with proper citation and attribution,
within the limits of fair use, is permitted. If you would like to request
permission to use or reprint any of the content on the site, please contact me.

About Me

Welcome to Rosebud’s Blog! I started writing weekly columns in college, and while it has been a few years, I never really lost the itch to write these thoughts down. I gathered a collection of ideas together and strung them together in my first book, “Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life” (2004 Gainline Press). Now I am writing again. Each piece is a contemplation of everyday life, and what can be learned from it. I believe two things:
(1) Everything happens for a reason (we may not learn the reason in this lifetime), and (2) There is something to be learned from every experience. Follow me on Twitter @GainlineRS.
"Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life," by Rosemary A. Schmidt (2004, Gainline Press, ISBN 978-0-9708528-1-9, available on Amazon.com) is a philosophical contemplation of rugby and the meaning of life. With some photos, recipes, poems, and quotes thrown in, it is in essence "a love song to rugby," but accessible to both players and non-players alike. You are what you read - what are you hungry for?